One of the most afflicting side effects of Cancer therapy is the temporary hair loss that comes along with Chemotherapy.
Cancer cells tend to exhibit uncontrolled growth and division pattern. Chemotherapy is aimed at killing those cells, however; cells that control the production of your hair are also rapidly multiplying. As a result, this leads to the disruption of your hair producing cells causing your hair to fall out. It begins with a few strands here and there and leads to complete hair loss.
But the hair loss caused by chemotherapy is not permanent in most cases. However, the hair that grows back after the completion of chemotherapy is not the same as your old hair. The color, texture, and density might differ.
The absence of suitable care during chemotherapy has shown to exhibit permanent hair loss in some cases. However; scalp cooling has proven to be one of the most effective ways to prevent chemotherapy-induced alopecia.
What is scalp cooling?
Scalp cooling or scalp hypothermia is a procedure in which cooling caps or ice packs are used throughout the chemo treatment. It has become a very common hair loss treatment against chemotherapy. It includes using ice packs to cool down your scalp before, during and after a chemotherapy session.
How does it work?
Using a cold cap restricts blood vessels and tightens them up. This leads to reduced activity in the hair follicles making them less susceptible to the chemotherapy. The constrained follicles and scalp also limit the amount of chemo reaching them.
Since chemo breaks down the rapidly dividing cells, the cold restraint makes your hair less receptive to it. Thus, controlling the hair fall and eventually, the alopecia induced by the chemo.
How effective is it?
Many kinds of cooling equipment have been tried and tests over the years. One of the most common ways of implementing scalp hypothermia has been frozen caps stored in dry ice. These frozen caps were required to be changed every 20-30 mins throughout the chemo session.
The extremely cold temperature was uncomfortable for some people and unbearable in other cases. It also needed a helper to change the cap and high amounts of dry ice to maintain the cold temperature.
Over time newer and more effective ways to execute scalp cooling were introduced. These were also caps filled with a cold fluid and had channels in them to regulate the temperature. These devices proved to be more comfortable as the cooling could be controlled and monitored. While using such cooling devices it’s vital to start at least 30 minutes before the therapy until 90 minutes after the chemo is done.
These cooling caps have received a lot of positive reviews in terms of hair fall throughout the chemo and hair regrowth after the procedure as well.
Conclusion
The traditional ways of implementing scalp cooling such as frozen caps and ice packs have had conflicting results. However, newer devices have been very effective at controlling hair fall and chemo-induced alopecia as well. These caps have become a staple hair treatment for people going through chemo. So, get in touch with your doctor and find out what cool device would be the best for you.
Therefore, it becomes significant to follow the above-mentioned process during chemotherapy. In case, you wish to find a solution to overcome the hair loss problem and you are not able to locate a credible hair loss treatment. No worries, without a doubt, connect with Advanced Hair Studio professionals today where you get the sure-shot hair treatment. Advanced Hair Studio has a long chain of satisfied customers globally.